Culmination

Eighth Grade Culmination takes place at the end of the school year, as we recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the students leaving Palms for high school.

During the ceremony, students receive their Certificate of Completion from their homeroom teacher. See the Eighth Grade Eligibility page for requirements.

The free ceremony is held in the auditorium (see campus map). Parents and families are invited but tickets are required.

There are two ceremonies, Culmination A and Culminations B. Check below to see which ceremony your child is in.

Parents may bring flowers but balloons and horns are NOT allowed.

Culmination Schedule

Culmination ceremonies and their schedules depend on each student's homeroom teacher.

The homerooms are subject to change.

Parents: If you have a conflict with an elementary school ceremony for a younger sibling on the same day, let your child's counselor know in advance, so your child can be assigned to the appropriate Palms ceremony.

Parents of culminating twins or triplets: Let the counselors know, so your children can be assigned to the same culmination ceremony.

Rules for Students

• Students need to be present during all scheduled rehearsals and stay for the entire rehearsal day.
• Extenuating circumstances will be considered by the 8^th grade coordinator and administrator but must be approved prior to the week of rehearsal.
• Students should not bring purses, cameras, hats/caps, yearbooks or other personal belongings to the cafeteria.
• Students will not be wearing culmination gowns this year, but they must follow the dress code for culmination.
• Dress as described below. Students who are inappropriately dressed will not be permitted to participate in the ceremony.

Young Men

Appropriate attire:

• Comfortable slacks and shirt are most appropriate.
• A suit or slacks with a sport jacket or sweater are also OK.

Inappropriate attire:

• NO shorts
• NO jeans
• NO sagging pants
• NO leis
• NO hats

Young Women

Appropriate attire:

• Suits, skirts and blouses or appropriate dresses.
• We suggest shoes with a moderate heel.

Inappropriate attire:

• NO backless evening-type attire
• NO bare midriffs
• NO spaghetti straps
• NO gloves
• NO corsages or leis
• NO hats

Tickets

Each student will receive a maximum of 3 tickets, due to the limited seating in the auditorium. There will be a drawing for one additional ticket.

Tickets will be issued on Monday, June 9, 2025, during the last rehearsal day. The ticket form below must be returned to the homeroom teacher by the deadline of Friday, April 11.

If some families don't need 3 tickets, then those extra tickets may be distributed to other families by arranging this with Dean of Students Mrs. Fields-Coleman.

Students who have guests with special needs (elderly or wheelchair-bound) may exchange one or more of their tickets for special-needs tickets, requested on the tear-off.

Parking

Parking will be available on the residential streets surrounding Palms Middle School. Please be considerate of our residential neighbors. If you park on the south side of the school, you must walk to the front of the school on Kelton Avenue or Glendon Avenue, since you won't be able to cross the campus.

We strongly suggest that you arrive early.

We encourage you to consider using alternative transportation modes or to carpool.

Lastly, please drop off your culminating child before looking for parking to ensure their prompt attendance in the cafeteria.

Awards

Students who have a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) over 6th grade, 7th grade, and the first semester of 8th grade earn the Principal's Award.

Students who have a Grade Point Average (GPA) from 3.5 to 3.9 over 6th grade, 7th grade, and the first semester of 8th grade earn the President's Award.